Confounded Love
by Squeek1504
Summary: OC/RL Aria is the new potion's teacher at Hogwarts. She's clumsy and odd and falling for the resident werewolf. Sporadic updates hopefully in th near future
1. Beginnings

New story Sorry I'm so addle brained, but I'll update my other stories soon. After the eighth though, it'll be longer gaps between updating than usual. Bleh... school  
Right, please R&R 

Hope you enjoy!

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The muggle alarm clock wailed at the sleeping woman. Her long messy hair was green, inherited from a Nereid ancestor. She tried to ignore it and rolled over, pulling the pillow over her head. Aria didn't remember why she had gotten that thing. Her head still hurt from the party she went to last night, and the noise was getting louder.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Out of curiousity, she glanced at the clock. It read in bright green numbers 6:15.

_Why the hell am I getting up at six fifteen?_

The word school drifted across her mind.

_School? What about school? I graduated from my wizarding school three years ago…_

Then suddenly, she snapped up.

"AH! HOGWARTS!" She leaped across the tiny bedroom and pulled on a set of robes. Then she tugged her arms into a ragged looking coat, and snatched her hair up into a ponytail . While heading out the door, she snagged her old black leather satchel with a plate that had "PROFESSOR A.M. CANTUS" in worn letters.

Of course, _now _she remembered interviewing for the job at the famous school. She had wanted to work there because she had a knack for teaching potions, and they had an opening. Of course, they had tried for her to take the DA job but she hadn't wanted it. She proposed that she teach both, switching times of teaching with whomever they had gotten. The headmaster McGonagall had agreed with zeal. After all, they were both reasonable women, and they needed all they could get in these dark times.

_Bloody Voldemort… Bloody Death Eaters… Bloody bagel… _

Her stomach had started growling, so she summoned a bagel with cream cheese on it to silence it. While she was running, creamed cheese had gotten onto her robes. She hurriedly glanced down at her watch and saw that she still had enough time to catch the train to Hogwarts. She slowed down a bit and took a bite out of her bagel.

_So I'm alternating days with the DA teacher… Hope they aren't an ass. _

At this point, she looked at her watch and it read the same. She had forgotten that it was broken. She stopped some muggle on the street to ask.

"It's a quarter to seven." He told her giving her a quick puzzled look at her robes.

"Thanks!" She ran towards the train station.

_Ah! Shit! Don't leave the station, don't leave the station!_

She squeaked and gasped as she ran straight into someone who had suddenly stepped out in front of her, plowing them right into the ground. She got up and saw that it was a strikingly handsome he person that she had run into, and was now pinning on the ground. He had an adorable confounded expression on his face, and politely asked if she would get off him.

_GOOD GOD, He has blue eyes! _

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Ah… um… I have to go! I'm late! Sorry!" She flushed, jumped up, and continued running for the station. She ran for about three blocks and realized that she was running in the _wrong direction_.

_GODDAMNIT!_

She turned around and ran the rest of the way to the station, in the correct direction, bounded through the barrier and hopped onto the last car just before the train started taking off. The ticket man laughed at the expression on her face.

"Running late, are we?" She glared at him, causing a new upheaval of laughter. Then she summoned her baggage and Noc, her pet bat. Tossing them into the baggage compartment, she carried only her satchel on the train. She climbed onto the very back compartment and settled down, pulling the tattered trench coat over her head. It was still pounding, and she was tired. So she drifted off as the train pulled out of the station.

Aria's head bounced against the window and she woke with a start. She looked outside and it was raining.

_Great. I hate rain._

She stretched her arms into the air and yawned. Then she opened her eyes and saw the same strikingly handsome he person she ran into earlier that day. She gasped audibly and flushed.

"Good evening." He smirked at her, running a hand through his wayward blonde hair. It had flecks of grey in it, but He looked relatively young.

"Ah! I, um, that is to say, ah.." She broke eye contact and started wringing her hands together. "Sorry about earlier! I was in a bit of a rush, you see… Well, obviously, so were you… I mean… that is… I'm so sorry!"

"That's alright. No one is perfect, and it should be me apologizing. I should have looked where I was going, but I was reading my book. I'm really need to get a life and get my nose out of books from time to time." He laughed easily and she laughed in turn.

"Well, I'm the new Potion's Master here. Actually I'm half potions… I have to teach Dark Arts half the week… My name is Aria. I'm assuming that you are not a student?" She smiled warmly at him and held out her hand, but he started laughing again.

"I'm the new Dark Arts teacher!" He managed to gasp out. "Nice to meet you, and since you graced me with your name, I'll tell you mine." He smiled and they both burst out laughing again.

"Right, so your name would be…?"

"Ah. My name is..." Just then, the door burst open and a redheaded girl stood there, and she beamed at him.

"Professor Lupin! I came as soon as I heard you were on the train!" She sat down next to him and gave him a hug. "How are you Professor?"

"I'm very well, Ginny, and it's nice to see you too! I have a letter here for Hermione… if she's in the mood… Oh! And this dumbfounded looking woman here is your new potions master." He grinned and indicated Aria with a gesture of his hand.

"Hello! My name is Ginny Weasley. I'm in Gryffindor house, and I'm a prefect. It's nice to meet you Professor…" She paused and Aria smiled at her.

"Cantus. My name is Aria though, so I want everyone to call me Professor Aria. It's a lot better sounding too." She grinned, and the energetic girl grinned back for a moment before turning to Lupin and looking solemn.

"No, I'm sorry professor… She's a bit down right now…" Just as she started to explain, an older girl with brown frizzy hair walked in and sat down next to Aria. She assumed this to be Hermione.

"Who's a bit down?" She smiled at Lupin and Ginny warmly, but it was clear by her dulled hazel eyes that she had been crying. He shot her a worried, fatherly look that made her respond. "I'm fine, I promise. So what have you got for me there?"

Pushing some hair out of his face, he handed her a yellow envelope with a red seal on it. Messy scrawl was on the front, addressed to Hermione. She opened the letter, smiled softly while she was reading it, and then closed the envelope. She placed it in her inside pocket, then hugged Lupin so suddenly that he made a slight squeak. Then he smiled and patted her on the back.

"They're alright," she gasped, sobbing afresh, "They're okay… Oh professor, thank you so much!" He squeezed her gently, then pulled her off.

"This lady here is the new potions master." Hermione smiled at her, then hugged her too. Aria was taken aback by the openness of the girl. But she smiled and hugged back gently.

_Maybe I could get to like it here… My school was much smaller than the huge castle though, and the houses were different… But I can learn._

"My name is Aria. You can call me Professor if you like, but I doubt that would be necessary." Hermione smiled at her, looking very worn, yet happy at the same moment. Then Lupin spoke.

"Ginny, there's a letter for you too… it's from them both." He handed her another letter, same look on the outside, but the script was neater. The girl gasped and rushed out of the room to read the letter.  
"Professor, are you the new head of house? I've been wondering who would replace Professor McGonagall, so I was wondering if you knew…" Hermione directed the question at Lupin.

"Ah, I'm not sure… I don't think so though. McGonagall hasn't sorted us yet." She shot him a puzzled look.

"Professors are sorted too? I didn't know that." She grinned as she soaked up the new knowledge. Aria smiled. She remembered her old school, Blackner's School of Witchcraft. It was an all girls school, so she blamed her parents and the damned school for her inability to speak properly to men. The four houses were Stallius, Falcoria, Merrwhether, and Hissleby. She knew of Hogwarts, but had never actually been inside the school. Oddly enough, they were sorted by a seer who could see which house you belonged in. She was in Falcoria, the alleged house of friendship and trust, yet she never had any friends. She wondered how they got sorted here at this school.

Just then, the trolley came by. Aria was starving, so she bought six chocolate frogs and rabidly ate them. She also asked Lupin what his _first _name was.

He glanced up, startled from his book and answered her. "It's Remus." He began to read again when he noticed her snarfing the chocolate frogs. He smiled a half smile at her, and then returned to reading. Hermione and Ginny had left back for the prefects compartment eons ago, and Aria noticed that she was now all alone in the same compartment with a delicious looking man who had startling blue eyes and a sexy grin.

_NO! Goddamnit, no! Boys off limits!_

_Well, he's not a boy, now is he?_

_No… He's a big, strong, sexy… NO! GOD! You tricked me…_

_You know you want it!_

_I don't know how to talk to guys! What am I supposed to say!_

_Tell him about yourself! _

_I think not. _

_Chicken._

_What did you call me?_

_Bawk bawk baaaaaawk._

_…No That's final! _

_Fine. Have it your way. _

She immediately noticed that she was talking to herself in her head again and stopped it. Remus had been watching her, an amused expression on his face. She flushed and apologized.

"I have a tendency to run away with myself… sorry." She smiled at him. He grinned back, exposing oddly shaped canines. She made a mental note that he even had sexy teeth.

_GAH! Stop it! _

_Um… No._

_DAMN YOU! _

The train began picking up speed, and she knew they were almost there. Maybe another half hour tops.

"Well, better get changed. Do you mind?" She flushed.

"Oh no, not at all." She got up to leave and caught a glimpse of his abs. She flushed even more and ran guiltily into an empty compartment, locked the door and started to remove her clothes. She finished changing and then tugged at her hair to make a sloppy, but cute looking bun. Then she returned to the compartment and sat down.

Lupin smiled to himself when the young woman returned. It was becoming increasingly clear that she could not openly talk to men. They talked about Wizarding School, and he found out that she went to a private all girls school.

"Oh, so this is your first time to Hogwarts, is it?" She nodded. He loved the way she smelled, like peaches and cinnamon.

_Oh no you don't. It'll only end in tears. _

He had been quite surprised when she ran into him earlier, and hadn't spoken because he was looking at her shockingly green eyes. He could imagine her long forested hair cascading down her naked back and-

_ ARGH!_ _Stop it!_

He opted to show her around, and asked her to the Three Broomsticks for a drink when they got off the train. She flushed again and hastily accepted. His heart was pounding, but he grinned.

_Why am I so nervous! I've been on dates before! This isn't even a date! _

The train stopped and students filed out of the compartments. He looked around and noticed that the number was considerably smaller than last year. He furrowed his eyebrows and asked Hermione where the new students were. She pulled him off to the side.

"Professor, there _aren't _any." She flushed a bit from embarrassment. He nodded in acceptance.

_No new students? That's a shame… _

In all, he guesstimated that there were maybe four hundred students left… at the most. He felt rather saddened at the possibility of his beloved school going under. Aria looked at him, worried by the look on his face. He smiled and told her not to worry about it.

"How many students are there? It looks like a lot!" She gasped as she saw the large group of pupils walking along to Hogmeade.

"I'd say… only about four hundred or so." Her jaw dropped.

"Four HUNDRED!" She blinked. He laughed at the expression on her face. Then they walked towards the village.

As they walked, they had many discussions on all sorts of subjects. They both very much enjoyed history and reading, as well as how they liked their hot chocolate. They even had the same favorite animal. Lupin worried about telling her that he was a werewolf.

_Maybe I should tell her… I mean, she'll find out anyways… She has to brew my potion. There's no way out of it._

"Ah… Aria…" He stopped walking.

"Yes Remus?" She gazed at him, her eyes were _so_ beautiful.

"I need to tell you something," She flushed, and he bit his lip, then continued, "And I need you to promise me it won't change the way you think about me.

_Well, here goes nothing…_

Aria stood in the biting cold, her ears were going numb. She noticed that her left glove had a hole in the thumb. Now she'd have to fix it.

_Oh god… He's gay! I knew it! Argh! No straight guy could ever be that caring!_

Lupin looked her straight in the eye and said the three words she least expected to hear.

"I'm a werewolf." She grinned stupidly and started laughing. Her sides started to ache and she doubled over. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes, half from laughter, half from the cold. Aria lost her balance and landed on her arse, laughing. She looked up at Remus' face and his confused expression made her start giggling all over again.

"What's so funny?" He looked so confused!

"Ah, I-I don't think that'll be a-a problem." She was suppressing more laughter that was starting to bubble over.

"Huh?" She couldn't help it! He looked so stupefied!

After she finished laughing, she explained why she got so good at potions.

"My father was a werewolf. My mother was half Merperson. She taught me at an early age how to brew his draft for him. Don't worry about it." He looked so relieved. All she could do was smile at him, and try not to laugh. She was suddenly so very glad he was there with her, then caught herself flushing. Perhaps it was from the cold.

"Ah, well… I'm starting to get a bit chilly out here. Maybe we ought to move into the pub?" She nodded and they continued walking towards a little grey village. They came to a lit sign that read in snow dusted letters "The Three Broomsticks.", and they went inside. Hermione and Ginny both joined them, and they sat about discussing the upcoming year.

"Oh, you'll simply love Hogwarts! I'll bet you fit right in." Aria smiled and nodded. She already felt at home, but she wasn't too sure how long it would last. Lupin got up and brought back four pints of a gold colored liquid. It smelled sweet and warm, so she hesitantly took a sip. A warm feeling washed over her and she felt incredibly light. Her cheeks flushed and she smiled brighter. Feeling more confident, she took another swig. It was the greatest thing she had ever tasted! Then she leaned on Lupin and fell asleep.

_He smells so nice..._


	2. Passed out drunk

LIIIVE! BE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC! Actually, to be more accurate, be alive with the sound of Bob and Tom and Rodney Carrington, perhaps even some Stephen Lynch. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, everyone. That's what happens when you're lazy.

Anyways, getting on with it, you remember last chapter, Aria passed out drunk off Butter beer onto her new buddy, Remus Lupin.

Everybody loves Lupin. Especially the fangirls.

/bricked

OKAY! OKAY! I'll write more! Sheesh…

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"Hermione, could you grab her suitcase please?" 

Remus wasn't exactly surprised at his stupidity; he hadn't studied her mother's species very well when he was still in school. Luckily, Hermione was more knowledgeable on the subject and reminded him a bit too late that although alcohol has little to no effect on Merpeople; giving them butter beer gets them drunker than a gnome in half a minute.

He shifted her so that he could carry her without making her less dignified. She was lighter than he'd first guessed, and her hair smelled a little like sea salt. Cradling her carefully, Hermione and Ginny walked a few paces off, whispering excitedly about the classes this year. Suddenly, a few paces off from the front steps, Ginny spoke up.

"Um… professor?"

"Yes?"

He stopped and turned to speak to her. She walked over and leaned in close, handing him a small yellow envelope. It was slightly bent and had a bit of a coffee stain on one corner, but looked as though it had been cared for very tenderly, almost smoothed out good as new.

"I was wondering if… if you could give this to Harry please?"

She blushed and knitted her eyebrows into a pleading look. Very much so like a kitten caught in a tangle of yarn. He smiled and nodded, receiving a heartwarming smile in return.

"Just stick that in my coat pocket, please. I'll make sure he gets it."

She pushed it down into his pocket and smiled again, thanking him before running off to the great hall with Hermione to set up. Sighing light-heartedly, he picked up his pace and headed towards the teacher's entrance, where he saw, indeed, the smallest bat he had ever seen in his life. It rushed up to him, shimmying on the wooden perch, still upside down and squeaked at him.

_Aww… it's so cute!_

Then leaning down to the cage, he saw a slightly eaten paper tag attached to it, on which were scribbled the words "RIA M. CANTUS" because the bat had chewed off the letter "A". He smiled to himself, as he had though that she had seemed more like a cat person than anything. Bidding farewell to the small squeaking animal, he pushed open the door with his foot and walked down the staircase to the sleeping quarters where the incredibly intoxicated Potions Professor would be staying.

He walked around a corner and nearly died of fright, as Headmaster McGonagall was standing there, seemingly waiting for him and the dead weight in his arms. She raised an eyebrow at the current status of the new teacher and looked at him with her green eyes over her pointed frames resting on her nose.

"Am I to suspect that you had something to do with this poor girls' present… condition?"

She grinned lightly at him, implying that she was not a bit angry with him, which allowed his lungs to give a sigh of relief. He leaned back against a wall and slumped forward a bit.

"Ah… Sorry. Butter beer."

He blushed and grinned, as though he were caught guilty in some act. Then, nodding towards the door, he asked her to open it. She grinned and whispered something to the door and let him walk her in.

"She'll have to wake up, of course. The banquet is going to start in about half an hour and I expect both of you to be there."

Lupin nodded and turned towards the bed, laying her down. McGonagall placed a hand on his shoulder and furrowed her brow, obviously concerned.

"I trust you, Remus. This year isn't going to be easy; I'm going to need everyone's help."

At that he turned around to face her and held her hands in his own. She was worried about how the year would progress, and although there hadn't been any Deatheater attacks for the past three months, he could understand her concerns and knew they were justified.

"Don't worry. I'll keep a close eye out, alright?"

She smiled lightly and nodded her thanks, then left the room. Lupin looked around in the potions cabinets, searching for an awakening potion and some headache medicine. While he was clinking around in the cabinets, Aria started to roll off of the bed which caused him to dive after her. He caught her just before she hit the floor and the product of his catching her was to be greeted by two startled golden orbs with flecks of mahogany in them. He'd never noticed what a beautiful color her eyes were before; the thought made him blush profusely, however.

"…"

"Um… Glad to see you're feeling better!"

He helped her to her feet and led her to sit down in a worn leather chair. She let out a small laugh and smiled. Then, after shuffling around in her many pockets, she withdrew her wand and sat there holding her newly formed mug of coffee.

"Ah… I'm sorry Mr. Lupin. I usually don't… get drunk."

She blushed and closed her eyes to drink her warm remedy, trying to avoid eye contact. She scuffed her feet on the floor, swinging her legs reminiscently of a small girl on a park bench.

"It was my fault. I should have remembered that Butter beer causes… intoxication. At least in your mothers' people it does, it has no effect on humans though. Sorry."

He ran his hand through his hair out of a nervous habit and stared at the floor. Suddenly, Aria stood to her feet and cleared her throat. She called forth and handed him a mug as well, smiling at him. Then waving her wand, her baggage appeared in her room and began to unpack itself. The small squeaking mammal was on top of the small table in the room.

"Ah, it is your bat then."

"Yes. He's adorable, isn't he? His name's Noc. I actually was going to get a kitten but I saw him there in the store and fell for him."

Her choice of words made his face flush again almost as soon as hers did when it registered what she had said.

_Oh come on, this is pathetic man. Just tell her; you're a grown man, not a twelve year old boy. Make a move! _

"Ah, yes. He's incredibly cute. I liked him when he first started talking to me outside."

She smiled at him and finished unpacking her things while he rummaged around for some headache medicine. After she'd finished, he was still looking until he finally gave up and pulled a small plastic bottle. Handing her a few pills from it, he smiled.

"Take these… You headache will go away."

"What are they? I've never seen anything like this before…"

"It's muggle medicine they take for headaches. I promise, after a couple minutes it'll go away."

She looked skeptically at the small pills in her hand before nodding and swallowing them quickly, although she made a face while doing so. After a couple minutes of sitting and drinking some hot tea and coffee, playing with Noc, and having a small snack of crackers, Lupin stood up.

"Well, we'd better start heading towards the Headmistress' office. We need to get sorted, then we'll head for the banquet."

She frowned at the mention of a banquet and turned towards her closet.

"A banquet? Oh… shouldn't I change clothes? I brought some dress robes and such…"

He smiled and took her hand, leading her towards the door without making her take a step. She looked at him nervously, but he could see that she was trying not to get too hesitant.

"You'll have time to change after the sorting, promise. All we're doing is assigning who will be leading which house. Most of the teachers won't even get a house, so don't worry."

Smiling back at him, she ventured into the dungeons of her new school. He whistled and grinned at the echoing off of the walls. Knowing she'd be fine in a few minutes, he led her out of the dungeons. When he opened the door into the main hall, the light of hundreds of floating candles washed over everything. To this spectacle, she uttered a single word before heading up the grand stairs with Remus.

"Wow…"

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Hooray! Will Lupin make a move on the pretty potion lady? Will he! I dunno. Maybe next chapter or something, I still think it's funny that two adults are flirting like little kids. 

Next update in three days.


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